maybe because benn and eubank were too busy kicking seven shades of **** out of each other to really care about james gob shite toney. and not being funny but i rate mclellan higher than toney anyway. he was knocking people out for fun.
thats fair enough and, to be honest, how they earned a big chunk of their reputation in britain. they are both very, very good fighters - but the truth is that if ricky hatton had made the same choice against witter then we'd be having the same debate against him today instead of praising his mettle to go for it. i dont know how that sounds to you all, but for me heøs shown how 2 fights in the US (on the back of tszyu, granted, no matter how late the jump was) can put you in control of your career.
There is nothing bad you can really say about Benn. Eubank was the real underachiever but Benn went to America and people also forget he went to Italy and won a world title.
It may be a defining career fight in the eyes of the americans, but Benn probably cares more about how he is seen in his own country, he fought world class fighters in the UK and he has the respect of the public that witnessed those fights over here. Benn probably didn't fight Toney because they both had better risk/reward staying at home fighting other people. However, Benn did actually fight in the US 5 times and beat two world class fighters in doing so but at that time Toney still hadn't fought anyone of note and was not a world champion. Benn returned to the UK and lost to Eubank, he then rebuilt his career in the UK before his defining fight with the worldclass G-Man. Obviously the american market still holds a lot of sway and accessing it leads to more fight options, but things are changing slowly, you see americans coming to Europe to fight because the money is better and as venues become more established over here the emphasis will change. The US still has one of, if not the largest population that still has an interest in boxing, but other areas are having more influence as time goes by.
Since the topic of Hatton going to states has come up I would just say it is not about where you fight it is about who you fight. I respect the fighter that always want the fight the best and sometimes that does not mean you dont have to leave you own country if the toughest opposition is there.
in britain....its no coincidence that its britishs posters opposing me. you've come out of nowhere and sport david haye on your avatar which is no coincidence. so dont "feel sorry for me" simply because i choose to post in european time when i know i'm not going to find any allies. i'm on every second week or so (when i can make it) in 'US time' but i dont recall seeing any of you trying to hold the fort against the odds there.... the truth is that benn and eubank are excellent fighters who will be remembered as "legends" in britain. so will calzaghe, so will hatton. but hatton will be known and remembered more fondly than all for the choices he made in his career. thats not to say he's a better fighter, but if the other fighters chased their dream with the honesty and resolve he did then we wouldn't be having this discussion today.
i dont agree entirely. hatton had doors open for him when he beat tszyu...but nothing happened for him. he had no US fanbase and no levaerage from the networks so it was more of a platform than anything else. when he left frank warren (as it seems all serious fighters need to do) he made his mark in the US and the castillo fight was the catalyst that got him floyd. if hatton won those fights in the UK he would never have had the momentum and the fanbase stateside to make a fight with floyd possible. you do have to beat notable fighters, but you also have to be marketable. and thats where fighting in the US (preferrably on PPV) comes into it.,
Hatton will be remebered more fondly because he chased Floyd Mayweather? I remeber the fighter who gave me the most excitment and value for money which equals guys like Nigen, Benn, RJJ Tyson etc.
you're a ****ing ****! "why didnt he fight toney"? what a stupid argument. There are 1000s of fights that never happened throughout history, mainly due to Boxing politics. I cant believe you keep saying the same thing over again. You have no idea about Benn, Go away and watch some Benn Fights, read about the man and then start talking bollocks. Toney, decent enough boxer, decent power, great chin, I think Benn would have taken him into a war and beat him up. Toney had and still has a big mouth, and If Benn could have got to fight him, he would have. Benn ducked no-body. ****ing james toney..like Benn told him on TV, he is as thick as two planks.
I didn't read the whole thread. But to answer the question. NO! Mayorga is nothing like Benn. All Mayorga does is throw wild punches everywhere with absolutely no regard to his defense. He misses ALOT and is always off balance. He has no technique in his punches and he also has no movement whatsoever Benn is nothing like that. He might be a brawler like Mayorga, but he's a more refined brawler. He has good head movement especially when he's attacking. He doesn't just go straight into his opponent and try to walk him down. He employs a variation of the peek-a-boo style to get near his opponent and unload his bombs. Not to mention he has VERY fast hands for a brawler which, combined with his peek-a-boo style, is a hard thing to avoid. He's also WAY more accurate in his punches than Mayorga will ever be. Look, this are 2 of my favorite fighters of all time. But i'm just being real here. Benn fights nothing like Mayorga. Nigel is definitely a better fighter than Ricardo. Both are entertaning as hell and have hearts of lions though. And I love them for that. :good